cmb_ Posted November 9, 2006 Share #1 Posted November 9, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) It is Leica Demo Day today (November 9) at Kurland Photo in NY and Leo's Camera Supply in Vancover BC. Perhaps anyone who attends can possibly get some more information regarding some of the M8 issues. There are several other Demo Days scheduled around the USA just about every day in November. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 9, 2006 Posted November 9, 2006 Hi cmb_, Take a look here Demo Day Today (11/09) NYC & Vancover . I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
terrycioni Posted November 10, 2006 Share #2 Posted November 10, 2006 Greetings, I went to the Leo's Camera Leica 'Day' in Vancouver. I left with a Chrome M8. I queried the two Leica representatives (as well as store staff) closely about the magenta issue - and they had - just heard about it from someone attending the demo, but really that is all they could and would say. Had I not bought the M8 it would have sold to some else. Many of the people I chatted with had not read or heard a word about this issue...they just want an M8. I wish I could provide more information from them the group here. Of some interest the show started at 11 a.m. I got there at about 11:10 a.m. and needless to say the 2 M8s they had for demo purposes were being held tightly by a couple of gentlemen who could have cared less that a number of others were lined-up and waiting to see them. The local Leica sales rep took out his personal M8 for me to check-out before I put down the cash. Nice of him or I would still be there. There was little interest in the VLUX DLUX D3 or the DMR. So I did get some quality time with the D3 - it is beautiful..... Kind Regards. Terry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbstitt Posted November 10, 2006 Share #3 Posted November 10, 2006 So I did get some quality time with the D3 - it is beautiful..... Please tell us more about the D3. How did the viewfinder look? Was the transition to back screen awkward? Was there much lag? Is it heavy as a brick? Please tell us more. There is so much talk of the M8 but we are hearing nothing of the D3. John Stitt Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimmel Posted November 10, 2006 Share #4 Posted November 10, 2006 So I did get some quality time with the D3 - it is beautiful..... Please tell us more about the D3. How did the viewfinder look? Was the transition to back screen awkward? Was there much lag? Is it heavy as a brick? Please tell us more. There is so much talk of the M8 but we are hearing nothing of the D3. John Stitt Ditto. I'd like to hear about the D3 as well! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
doubice Posted November 10, 2006 Share #5 Posted November 10, 2006 I made it to Leo’s just past 3:00 pm and had ample time to play. One of the gentlemen that Terry mentioned was probably Tom Abrahamsson of the Rapidwinder and Softie fame, who was there at 11:00 I was told. What can I say – the M8 feels like an M all the way. If it did not have a screen in the back, I would have thought that it was just another M. Definitely impressed with the build quality. I was a little apprehensive of the .68 finder – my M7 is a .85, M6 is .72 and I do enjoy using the .85 finder better. The apprehension disappeared once I looked through the M8. Not much different from the .72 finder’s magnification and will not present a problem for me. I do realize that most Leica users prefer the .72 or .58 finders, but I use mainly lenses from 35mm up to 135mm, hence the choice of the .85 finder on the M7. I did question the reps about the colour balance problems, but as Terry mentioned, they “knew nothing about it”. Apparently “somebody mentioned it in the morning” , but that was the extent of their knowledge about the issue. The Digilux 3 looks good, but I don’t think I will be trading my Digilux 2….. I found the D3 quite big, particularly with the zoom lens on it; the D2 feels much more like a traditional camera to me. The D3 is definitely heavier than the D2. I did like the built-in grip though and particularly the finder, which was a pleasant surprise. I picked up the D3 thinking of it as just a bigger D2 and was stunned by the clarity of the finder compared to my D2. Probably not very useful for manual focusing, except at very close distances, but definitely better than the D2’s finder. The SLR black-out would not bother me, that is a just small price to pay for lens interchangeability. Of course, I cannot comment on image quality, that is something best left to Sean and others who tested the cameras. My impressions are strictly based on tactile feel of the cameras and their handling and general quality feel. In all those respects, I was very happy. Overall, I was impressed with all that Leica had to show. The M8, DMR, D-Lux 3, Digilux 3, V-Lux – all show that Leica is hopefully on an upward path. There is definitely an M8 in my future, but I would like to wait until the teething problems are solved. In the meantime, I sold three M bodies (still deciding whether to keep an M6 or an M7 as my last film body) to keep the piggy bank at the ready and the Mrs. happy. My 2 cents worth…… Jan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrycioni Posted November 10, 2006 Share #6 Posted November 10, 2006 Greetings All, OK... It is beautiful. At first glace it looks big when compared to the M8 of course. The real size and weight is the lens - but the lens is all Leica, it is very well built and solid. It is bright and contrasty, snappy autofocus even in the low light corners of Leo's Camera (it is a bit dark in the store). I tried manual focus and had no problems with the optical finder - the viewfinder is not as bright as the DMR (nor should it be) but it is better then reported on the various web forums in my opinion - so a nice surprise and slightly better than the Oly 330 implementation (yes I have a 330). The viewfinder information (on the right side) is nicely implemented - I like the fact that when you are in manual focus mode the green focus dot lights up when you are in focus - kind of reassuring. LiveView is interesting and again a better implementation then the Olympus 330 but only slightly. No swivel screen - and that is something Olympus has done better. When you engage liveview and fire the shutter it sounds like you have taken two shots - takes getting familiar with but very useable. It is nice to have an F Stop ring - and be able to take control of exposure. It is relatively quiet for a dslr but not as quiet as say an E1. The autofocus is relatively quick - and accurate. There is no shutter lag that I could detect and the write speeds are excellent - including the RAW buffer - six shots raw/jpg. You can shoot jpg until the card is full - it had a 1 meg Leica card in the camera that filled-up very fast. Is it the speediest dslr I have picked-up no, but it isn't slow by any measure. The lens is worth the price of admission. I had the chance to try a Sigma 30mm F1.4 lens on it... (shsssss don't tell) the camera got a lot smaller and lighter. It took a minute to get familair with because the Sigma doesn't have an F Stop ring. I was told the significant difference between the D3/L1 is related to picture settings - D3 low is L1 medium. This give the photographer more control in post processing - the Leica way. Makes sense as this what they did with the LC1/D2. In my opinion the D3 may end up being the Leica star of the show. This camera in my very humble opinion has been to quickly dimissed.... Cheers. Terry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimmel Posted November 10, 2006 Share #7 Posted November 10, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thanks for the D3 reviews Jan and Terry. Seems like a very promising camera. Can't wait to see some photos from it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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